carried away by his dissimulation0. There is no man who is not at times betrayed by it into some line of conduct, which, on a more calm and disinterested view of it, is found to have been injudicious : and we often find that the motives for which we gave ourselves credit were only a delusion of Satan, operating under the semblance of an angel of light1*.]
It is also, as the same prophet informs us, un- searchably wicked q —
[The corruptions of it are, for depth, unfathomable ; for number, countless; for enormity, surpassing all conception. None but the heart-searching God himself can know it. Let any one mark, for one single day, the workings of his heart, and the thoughts which pass through it ; and he will be per- fectly amazed, that a creature, sensible in some measure of his obligations to God, and desirous to serve him, should, in despite of all his endeavours to purify himself, be so corrupt. But, after having accomplished the most diligent search, and renewed it ever so often, he will be very far from having at- tained a perfect self-knowledge; and circumstances will still arise, that shall bring fresh corruptions to light, or place their workings in a new point of view : so that, on turning again to view some corner unexplored, he shall find more and greater abominations than before.]
Behold then here —
1. The folly of man —
[The Jews in the temple, having concealed themselves by a wall from the eyes of men, and practising their abomina- tions " in the dark chambers of their imagery," supposed that they were hidden from the eyes of God also. " They said, The Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth1." But God saw them, and directed the prophet how to get a sight of them also. And can we suppose that God does not see us, or that he will not record our ways in the book of his remembrance ? Be it known to you, my brethren, that " there is no darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves s." " God knows the things that come into our mind, every one of them1 ;" and " He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the heart"." Settle it then in your minds, that God's eye is over you ; and never presume to do that in dark- ness which you would be ashamed to have proclaimed upon the house-tops.]
0 Gal. ii. 12, 13. p 2 Cor. xi. 14. i Jer. xvii. 9.
r ver. 12. s Job xxxiv. 22. * Ezek. xi. 5.
u 1 Cor. iv. 5.